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Masaryk University Brno Faculty of Education Bachelor thesis Development of political relationship among "The Big Three" throughout the Second World War Michal Studýnka Brno 2017 Masaryk University Brno Faculty of Education The Department of English language and literature Development of Political Relationship Among "The Big Three" Throughout the Second World War Bachelor thesis Thesis author: Michal Studynka Thesis supervisor: Michael George, M.A. Declaration / hereby declare that I have written this bachelor thesis on my own a that I only used sources listed in bibliography. I also give permission for this bachelor thesis to be deposited in the Masaryk University's library for studying purposes. In Brno Michal Studýnka March 2017 Acknowledgement / would like to use this opportunity to thank my thesis supervisor Mr. Michael George, MA. for his support, attitude and trust which he provided me during my work. Table of content Introduction 7 1 Introduction of "The Big Three" 9 1.1 Winston Churchill 9 1.2 Franklin Delano Roosevelt 11 1.3 Joseph Stalin 13 2. Rise of world's political tension before the war 14 2.1 Adolf Hitler's rise to power 15 2.2 Policy of appeasement 15 2.2.1 Abyssinia crisis 16 2.2.2 Remilitarization of Rhineland 16 2.2.3 The Anschluss 16 2.2.4 The Munich treaty 17 3. Creation of "The Big Three" 18 3.1 United States position 19 3.2 Battle for Britain 19 3.3 Tripartite Pact and the Soviet position 20 4. Two events that decided the fate of the Second World War 20 4.1 Stalin joins the Allies 21 4.1.2 Atlantic Charter 22 4.2 Attack on Pearl Harbor and its ramification 22 4.3 Road to Teheran 23 5. Teheran Conference 24 5.1 Goals and topics 25 6. Development from Tehran to Yalta 26 6.1 Allied meetings before Yalta 27 7. Yalta Conference 27 7.1 Goals and topics 28 7.2 The end of the "original Big Three" 29 8. Harry Truman and the Atomic Bomb 29 8.1 World's first nuclear weapon 30 9. The war continues 31 10. Potsdam Conference 31 11. The end of World War 2 and aftermath of the Potsdam Conference 32 Conclusion 34 Introduction In 1941, Germany and its Axis allies were conquering the world. Its ultimate victory seemed assured as there was no one who could stop Hitler's armies. Great Britain was the last piece of Europe that was able to resist the aggressor. This situation changed however when the Soviet Union and later the United States joined Britain in the fight against the Axis forces, creating an Alliance that against all odds and with differing views was able to work together to achieve one goal... victory. But how did these three nations with completely different ideologies and their leaders get together at the first place? And how did they cooperate despite having their own agenda and differences? This thesis presents the answers to these questions and more. Many people believe that once Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin joined up, they were relentlessly trying to find the best and quickest way to destroy Hitler and his allies. The truth is however somewhat different. At first it was Great Britain who was carrying the heaviest burden of the World War II. After swift campaign through Europe and the capitulation of France, the situation looked quite grim. Granted, Britain was receiving support from the United States but due to its policy of isolationism, the US was nowhere near an actual military aid to its ally. And this is when Hitler made the biggest mistake in the war. He decided to attack the Soviet Union. Ever since the war broke out, there was a neutrality pact between the leader of the Nazi Germany and Joseph Stalin. But when the invasion into Russia started, Hitler created an enemy for himself that would eventually be his end. Though Stalin started as a neutral element and even considered joining the Axis, he now made for a perfect ally for the struggling British forces. Winston Churchill who was a great critic of communism made a very pragmatic decision. He created an alliance with Stalin in hopes that together they would be able to fight Hitler on several fronts. But one more crucial part of the future allies was missing, the United States. It was the attack on Pearl Harbor that finally gave an excuse to president Franklin Roosevelt to join the war and it also changed the opinion of the American people. They were attacked. American lives were lost. And this was all done by an enemy with whom they weren't in conflict at the time. Now people were volunteering to fight the Japanese and their allies in Europe, factories started to 7 produce tanks, planes, weapons and ammunition. This was the beginning of the end for the Axis. Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin formed what is now known as The Grand Alliance also known as "The Big Three". Ever since the creation of this alliance, the military and political leaders of these three nations changed the course of the war. But victory couldn't be achieved over night - It required planning and coordination. There were many meetings between the members of "The Big Three" where they discussed military strategy or international politics, but there were only three meetings where all the members, Great Britain, the Soviet Union and the United States would meet. Those were the conferences in Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam. It was here where the fate of the world was debated both during the war and after the war is over. And it was on these conferences where it became apparent that each of the leaders of the Grand Alliance had their own goals and agendas and that their opinions were often very conflicted. 8 1 Introduction of "The Big Three" The Big Three is a term used in the context of the Second World War for the most prominent allies in the fight against the Axis forces. Members were the Great Britain led by Winston Churchill, the Soviet Union led by Joseph Stalin and the United States of America led firstly by Franklin Roosevelt and later by his successor Harry Truman. There were other political entities that were cooperating in the alliance, but these three countries and their leaders carried the biggest importance in the war and in shaping the world after its end. 1.1 Winston Churchill Born on the 30th November 1874 into an aristocratic family. His father, Lord Randolph Churchill, was a distinguished politician and his mother, lady Jeanette Churchill, was a daughter of an American businessman. Thanks to his parentage, he was assured to receive the best education possible. In 1893, he was accepted to the Royal Military Academy, eventually graduated and started his military career as an officer. In the following years, he participated in conflicts in Cuba, India and in Sudan. By the end of the century, he tried to start his political career but his first attempt to join the parliament in 1899 was unsuccessful. He continued his military service as a war correspondent in the Second Boer War in South Africa. During this conflict he was captured and imprisoned. However, he managed to escape and travel over 300 miles to safety. This deed made Churchill very popular in Britain. Also thanks to this popularity, he could get elected to parliament in 1900. In March that year, he presented his first speech to his peers and thus effectively started his very successful political career. (Gilbert, p. 121) In 1911, Winston Churchill was appointed First Lord of Admiralty. In this post, he began to reform the Royal Navy. Most of the British ships were powered by coal at that time and he aimed to modernize them into oil powered. Churchill was a strong supporter of British sea superiority. (Willmott, p. 53) During the Great War, his reputation suffered due to several unsuccessful events, the most notable was the Dardanelles Campaign. During the battle for Gallipoli, Britain suffered a serious defeat by the Ottoman Empire. Over 200 000 British soldiers died, and the remaining force had to withdraw from the region. In 1915, Churchill was forced to resign his post to avoid major crisis in government. He rejoined the military with rank of lieutenant colonel and served for several months commanding British troops in France. (Willmott, p. 53) 9 After the war, Churchill was again given a post in the government as Minister of Munitions. During the Russian Civil War, he was a strong advocate of foreign interventions against the Bolshevism movement. With his own words, it had to be "strangled in its cradle" (Willmott, p. 15). In 1921, he was one of the signatories of the Anglo-Irish treaty which led to the creation of an independent Irish Republic. In mid-1920s Churchill oversaw the policy of return to the Gold Standard, a move that he later considered as the biggest mistake of his political career. It caused deflation, unemployment and eventually led to a general strike in 1926. (Poulicek, p. 51) During the world's rising tension of the 1930s and the policy of Appeasement, his political power was very low, but he was a strong outspoken of the British foreign policy, especially in its mild approach towards the emerging threat of fascism in Italy and Germany. On September 3rd, 1939 following the attack on Poland, Britain declared war on Germany and Winston Churchill was again appointed First Lord of Admiralty. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was unable to stop German offensive and after the failed attempt to defend Norway he resigned his post and recommended Churchill to succeed him.